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Oregon daily
emerald
Thursday, November 18, 1982
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 84, Number 55
A neighborhood with a plan
t
West University project may refine area, deter traffic
By David Brown
Of th* EmtnM
The West University Neighborhood recently com
pleted five years of work on a long-range document
outlining its growth This article is the first of a two-part
look at that group and its future.
The West University Neighbors organization has a
plan And if all goes well, the group soon will begin work
on the many projects aimed at refining the quality of the
neighborhood
The neighbors organization may begin construe
nun ui a wuuneri piujeui
— a state-of-the-art street
design for managing traffic
— next year if the City's
Community Development
Committee approves the
allocation of Federal block
grant money at 11:30 a m
today
That money is currently
intended for development
of family housing as part of
a three-year neighborhood
improvement program
funded by the federal Hous
The WUN refinement plan maps a core area of the
neighborhood covering 15 blocks and is bounded by
East 13th Avenue, East 18th Avenue, High Street and
Patterson Street for Woonerf construction
The plan enables the neighborhood to become
eligible for special block grant funding, set guidelines
for current improvements and set policies for future
development
The woonerf plan calls for construction of circular
islands in- the center of intersections of residential
streets to block automobiles from racing straight
through the area
. uiWersity
'^GHBORHO°V
Part I
jk
unuxe temem oarners,
the islands would have
vegetation, giving the inter
section the appeal of a
neighborhood square.
Landman says
Woonerf also extends
the sidewalks into residen
tial streets as the streets
approach major thorough
fares Drivers would have to
slow down around the pro
truding curb, according to
the plan
Such extensions might
mg ana uroan ueveiopmeni biock ijram Krogram
Family housing would help stabilize the neighbor
hood, says Marshall Landman, WUN administrator of
the improvement program Landman says short-term
residents have taken over the neighborhood, which is
bordered by Willamette Street on the west, Franklin
Boulevard on the north, the University on the east and
19th Avenue on the south
But the poor economic situation makes the mar
keting of new housing impractical, says Harold Lan
nom. chairer of the WUN advisory group WUN is asking
that the money go,towards woonerf construction, an
aspect of WUN's improvement program
The woonerf design — a Dutch concept — attempts
to divert cross-town traffic from residential streets and
to strengthen community aesthetics, Landman says
also provide opportunities for placement of grass,
shrubs and benches. Landman says The park-like
greenery would make a visual statement to the driver
that the area is somebody's neighborhood, he says
And the woonerf design may decrease the number
of traffic accidents After circular islands were installed
at 16 Seattle intersections, a study reported a
91-percent average decrease in traffic collisions at
those intersections
Woonerf also complements WUN's theory of
“nodar construction
The best example of nodal development in the
neighborhood are the tables and benches at 13th
Avenue and Kincaid Street, Landman says. Everyone
uses them, not just patrons of the tavern where the
benches are located, he says.
WUN members chose nodal development over
construction of a second community-owned park
Although neighbors were proud of the 14th Avenue
park they completed in 1979 with the help of the
University architecture department, they “realized that
it was small," Landman says It cost nearly $170,000.
The neighbors decided to make the entire neigh
borhood more accessible through nodal development,
he says The development includes placing benches,
waste baskets, bike racks and such items throughout
the neighborhood, he says.
WUN's refinement plan also includes provisions for
bus and bicycle transportation, land use and zon
ing, community services and guidelines for implement
ation.
Physical developments, however, comprise just
one facet of neighborhood refinement Community
involvement, crime prevention and continuation of
program funding are the subjects of the second part of
this series.
Soviet head faces problems, profs say
By Dave Rodewald
Of Dm Emerald
Stalin. Khrushchev and
Brezhnev board a train
When the train does not
move, Stalin says. “ I'll fix
this'' He leaves the train, re
turns in five minutes and says,
“I’ve fixed the problem I have
had the engineer, the conduc
tor and the stationmaster
shot."
But the train still does not
move Kruschev leaves the
train and returns 10 minutes
later, saying, "I've fixed the
problem. I have re-educated
the engineer, the conductor
and the stationmaster. ”
The train still does not move.
Brezhnev says "I have a bril
liant idea. Why don’t we pull
down the shades and pretend
that the train is moving?”
This joke, brought out in
Wednesday's panel discus
sion of Soviet Union after
Leonid Brezhnev, helped drive
home the point that the new
leader’s actions will be hard to
predict.
Four University professors
gave their ideas on life after
Brezhnev to a capacity crowd
in 167 EMU. The Russian pro
gram sponsored the panel
discussion.
“Is Andropov another
Brezhnev who will bring more
of the same stagnation or is he
a reformist who will bring new
innovative ideas — we don't
know,” said Russian prof
Fruim Yurevich.
One reason the new leader’s
actions will be hard to predict
is because there have been
only four “changing of the
guards," and no set pattern
has emerged, said Joseph
Fiszman, also a professor of
Russian.
Fiszman said the Soviets
have made a smooth transition
of power after Brezhnev s
death compared to previous
violent and bloody transitions
because they planned ahead
The professors credit
Brezhnev with establishing a
more stable society than his
predecessors, but they say the
government is much more
corrupt and lazy than before.
Who the new leader is is
irrelevant, but what he will
Photo by Mark Pynes
Fruim Yurevich was one of four University professors who spoke to a packed audience Wednesday
night on the problems facing Yuri Andropov, the man who has replaced Leonid Brezhnev
have to face is, said Ronald
Wixman, associate geography
professor.
One problem the professors
say the new leader will face is a
weak economy caused by
poor agriculture industry. The
enormous food shortage the
Soviets are experiencing can
also be attributed to a poor
agriculture, they said.
The new leader will also
have to deal with the problems
of the Soviet Union’s relation
ship with other countries like
the United States, China, Af
ganistan and Poland, they ad
ded.
Yuri Andropov, Brezhnev s
replacement, will act in one of
two ways, Fiszman said An
dropov will either continue on
with Brezhnev’s policies or he
will make the "clean sweep”
that is neccesary to get the
country back on its feet again,
he said.
But Americans should not
rejoice in the Soviet’s prob
lems because the country's
leaders may panic, said Alan
Kimball, history professor
“It (the Soviet Union) is a
very big nation with its pudgy
fingers on a lot of red but
tons,” Kimball said.